Safety guard for sheet feeding mechanisms

Abstract

Disclosed is an improved safety guard for use with sheet feeding mechanisms which is disposed between the feeding mechanism and the exposed feed roll nip of a mechanism for the processing of the sheet material. The safety guard includes a non-rigid, non-elastic member which prevents an attendant from inadvertently placing his appendages in the exposed nip of feed rolls while not interfering with the passage of the sheet material from the feed mechanism to the feed rolls of the processor. The safety guard adjusts automatically and instantaneously as the width of the sheet material changes to shield the variation in exposure.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. In an apparatus for serially feeding sheets of material to the feed rolls of machinery adapted to further process the material, said apparatus including a table means for supporting said sheets prior to feeding and a pair of side guide means for aligning said sheets therebetween prior to feeding, the improvement comprising: a guard means for restricting access to the nip of said rolls outward the sheets within said guide means, the guard means including: (i) anchor means fixed to a first side of said table means,   (ii) a continuous spiral rope member fixed to said anchor means,   (iii) a plurality of rope receiving means rotatably mounted on the first one of said side guide means, said rope receiving means adapted to conduct said rope the height of said side guide means,   (iv) a plurality of rope receiving means mounted on said second side guide means, said rope receiving means on said second side guide means adapted to receive said rope from said first side guide means to conduct said rope the height of said second side guide means; and   (v) second anchor means fixed to a second side of said table means, said second anchor means adapted to fixably receive said rope; said anchor means and said rope receiving means on said guide means positioning said rope member opposite the nip outward the sheets within said guide means to restrict access to the nip.